Proposed Hull City-Centre ‘Box-Farm’

The UK Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens is currently working with Hull City Council to explore the potential for a city centre farm as part of Hull’s City Plan.

By Adrian Fisher, Mark Cleaver
Rooted in Hull

Excerpt:

A unique visitor attraction farm, growing project, café and shop that is entirely mobile to be situated on a development site in Hull city centre adjacent to other key visitor attractions in an area being developed for leisure and tourism.

The key attribute and uniqueness of the project is that it will be designed to be structurally mobile and self sufficient in all features including services such as power and waste. Mobility is an essential part of the project allowing it to make the most of vacant development sites in the area as an “in the meantime” site use.

A five year agreement will be entered with a one year notice period to enable project to establish and develop but allows the developer to regain the site when required as the project infrastructure can be loaded onto lorries and relocated to a new
development site close by.

The main structures for the project will be based on container architecture to house the café, shop, toilets and a multipurpose room. Growing areas constructed using mobile raised beds designed to take multiple structures including: traditional chicken folds; poly tunnels and cold frames. Fruit trees in tubs, a moveable pig pen and other growing and livestock assets. For power and sustainability, the project will require solar panels and an Anaerobic Digester.